The United Nations side event Strengthening Engagement with Indigenous Peoples: Knowledge Systems, Languages, Policy and Practice focused on innovation demonstrating possibilities for it to be effectively scaled to accelerate progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Highlighting significant progress for Indigenous people in legislating the restitution of cultural property and human remains, the discussion also called upon the World Heritage Convention to feature new processes of good practice Indigenous participation on a national and UNESCO level. Bringing together governments, UN agencies, and partners the discussion highlighted the importance of embedding innovation as a permanent and system-wide feature of the UN’s work, particularly in line with the “UN 2.0” agenda. Speakers emphasised that innovation must be linked with strategic foresight, enabling the UN to better anticipate emerging global challenges and respond proactively.
Initially noting that for Indigenous people globally, ‘participation does not result in influence’, I found that the conference used examples of crisis response and conservation effectively, noting the Blackfoot group in Isonop, Canada who successfully worked with the government to ensure they remained entirely autonomous in their preservation of the largest concentration of rock art in North America. The conference pointed out that many of these initiatives were in their infancy stages, and thus required stronger enforcement. A key theme was the role of digital technologies and data in improving decision-making, crisis response, and prioritisation. Participants noted that Indigenous knowledge, cultural heritage, and land operate a symbiotic relationship, however with the introduction of generative AI and online databases, can be reproduced without prior consent, and removed from the complex relationships they rely on. Indigenous knowledge systems and images must therefore be protected by and for Indigenous peoples digitally, and this currently remains difficult due to limited capacity, and a lack of shared standards.
The event also stressed the importance of context-specific solutions and continuous learning within innovation processes. The Facilitative Working Group (FWG) cited their work in Belèm, Brazil, noting the engagement of regionally nominated Indigenous knowledge holders and local knowledge holders at COP 30 contributed to Indigenous leaders not only participating, but executing decision making. Another notable outcome was the announcement of support to transform Pulse Lab Jakarta into a regional UN Global Pulse hub for Asia-Pacific, aimed at strengthening capacity for digital innovation. Overall, the discussion underscored that achieving impact at scale requires coordination, investment, and a cultural shift within the UN system toward experimentation and collaboration.
Author: Lucy Hui, Youth Intern, Germany/Australia
